Age, race play key roles in senator's decisive Election Day victory

Sentiments of "yes, we did" replaced chants of "yes, we can"
last night as Sen. Barack Obama won the race for the White House,
signifying for many a departure from an unpopular regime to the
reception of the new president elect's promise for change.

For many voters, the country's historic decision represented a
battle between age and race, eliciting an almost riotous reaction
from supporters in Chicago who demonstrated their support for Obama
with tears, chants and cheers.

"My God, it's like Christmas," shouted Joe Ngu, a 27-year-old
from Chicago, after the decision was announced.

Like many Obama supporters, Ngu sees Obama's victory as an open
door of opportunity for himself and future generations.

"Right now, I'm thinking that my kid's got a really good
future," Ngu said. "He ain't gotta be a basketball player no more
to be successful or a rapper. His goal can be as big as being the
president. And not just for African-Americans, not just for whites,
not just for Latinos, but every single race."

Not coincidentally, race played a role in this election's
outcome, as minorities overwhelmingly supported Obama's campaign.
According to exit polls, black voters tallied 96 percent Obama to 3
percent McCain. Meanwhile, Latinos tallied 67 percent Obama to 30
percent McCain, and Asians 63 percent Obama to 34 percent McCain.
Overall, those who said race was an important factor voted in favor
of Obama 55 percent to 44 percent.

But while race is said to have played an important role, twice
as many of those polled yesterday said age was an important factor
in their vote as those who said race was.

"It wouldn't have mattered to me if he had not been black," said
Lynn Stevenson, 57, of Chicago. "If he had come with the same
energy and experience and ideas and ideals that this young man came
with, I would have voted for him. But he happens to be black, and
that puts the icing on the cake."

Stevenson, who worked on Obama's campaign phone banking, said
she thinks the way people vote depends on what generation they are
from. She said for many people under 40, race doesn't even matter
because she said Obama is such a brilliant and bright man.

But for those over 40, Stevenson said people understand the
context in which the elections are happening.

Stevenson has campaigned for an election before in the 1960s
during Fanny Lou Hamer's initiative to register black voters. She
said at the time, she ditched college and traveled to Mississippi
to register voters during a time when black people who registered
to vote in the South faced serious hardships due to racism.

Stevenson said she was at the rally for one reason: history.

"I've been crying all morning," Stevenson said. "I woke up, and
I saw the people in line and I started crying. I called my aunt
down in Mississippi, she was crying on the phone. You know, it just
makes us proud."

Pride was a common denominator in Chicago yesterday — pride in a
historical outcome, and pride in a country that may regain its
clout after eight years of popular disapproval.

"The world as a whole doesn't look at the United States the way
they did 15 to 20 years ago," said Chris Caldwell, 34, of Chicago.
"You know, we're no longer the super power that we once were, and
the respect that we got from other countries was dwindling."

Gabriel Szatan might agree on one part: the world does look at
the United States as an influential world power, which led the
17-year-old Londoner to travel to the states to work on Obama's
campaign.

Szatan said no matter what country you live in, the election of
the United States' next president will be felt around the world. He
said Obama's cool temper worked on his behalf in this election,
while McCain gave off the air of a short-tempered man.

"[McCain's] hasty," Szatan said. "When he said, ‘I'm suspending
my campaign to help with the bailout,' and a day later he was like,
‘Actually, you know what, I won't.' It was hasty. You could say
that his decision with [Gov. Sarah] Palin was rash. He thought it
would energize the conservative base, but he didn't really give
much thought to the fact that pretty much the independent vote is
now swung to Obama because of Palin."

Szatan referenced the elections from four years ago as a lesson
for the Democrats. He said when the Bush campaign attacked Sen.
John Kerry with "swift vote" tactics, claiming Kerry dodged the
war, he never responded, leaving him defenseless against Bush's
assails. Szatan said Obama learned a lesson from the last election
and responded to claims of Obama palling around with terrorists
well.

"You know Obama is not this evil, Muslim antichrist, just like
so many adverts try to say he is," Szatan said.

Szatan said for many people, voting for Obama is taking a risk.
He said the last president as intelligent as Obama was Jimmy
Carter, a president who Szatan considered to have failed at his
job. But Szatan also said the last person with as little national
experience to run the country was Abraham Lincoln, whom Szatan
considered to be a strong leader.

"[Obama] has the best personality," he said. "Wherever he goes,
the sun follows him. I wouldn't be that surprised if he parted Lake
Michigan and walked across it to the podium … He's a great man, and
he's fascinating."

Szatan said where Obama lacks experience, he makes up for it
with his choice of vice president, Sen. Joe Biden. He said choosing
a man who has been in the Senate for 35 years leveled out many
problems Obama may have had in the White House.

That's not to say Obama does not realize the hardships he faces
in the years ahead. During his acceptance speech, Obama noted two
wars — a planet in peril and the worst financial crisis in a
century — acknowledging the road ahead may not be a simple one, but
that it will be worth traveling it all the while.

"But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we
face," Obama said. "I will listen to you, especially when we
disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of
remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for
221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by
calloused hand."